By Holly Sosa
My holiday lovin’ heart can hardly wait for 4th of July this weekend! I’ve already got big plans that involve copious amounts of this sparkling sangria. Because wine, you guys. You. Have. Me. At. Wine. And when you load up sparkling wine with fresh summer fruits, you call it sangria and use it to entertain and impress your guests and husband.
A good sangria starts with quality wine. It makes a world of difference. I trust and love Gloria Ferrer Wine, a gold medal (400!) wine with 50 90+ scores in the last five years. Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards is Carneros’ original sparkling wine house, owned and founded by the Ferrer family of Spain. Named for José Ferrer’s wife, Gloria, (best husband ever!) the winery opened in 1986 in the breezy, now-famous region in southernmost Sonoma County. Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards was the fulfillment of a longtime family dream: to make world-class méthode champenoise sparkling wines in an exceptional New World terroir. José and Gloria are darling people with true dedication for what they do.
Now that you’ve read all about Gloria Ferrer wines, I’m certain you’ll grab your own bottle for this recipe, as I’ve done. You start with two whole bottles of Gloria Ferrer Brut.
Add in about half a bottle (two liter) of lemon lime pop.
And now for the fruit! Since 4th of July is coming up, and I’m going for a patriotic sparkling sangria, I’m using blueberries and strawberries. Tip: frozen blueberries help keep your wine cool.
Give the pitcher a good stir to incorporate everything together. You can enjoy this immediately or chill and serve when your guests arrive. If blueberries and strawberries aren’t your favorite, you can substitute for just about any fresh fruit you can find. Grab a melon baller and whip up a melon sangria with cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon for a summer treat. Or try a berry version with strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. When you start with a quality wine, you can experiment with most any fruit to create the best sangria recipes you’ve ever had.
Now that you’ve got your own bottle (or five!) of Gloria Ferrer, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it using the #BeGloriousContest and #Glorious4th tags and share it on Instagram or Twitter for your chance to win a Cheers to Independence prize package. Follow this link for contest rules and all the details.
What fruit do you like in your sangria? Let’s talk sweet wines and fruit in the comments below.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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